Divine
Decree means carrying out Destiny’s
decisions or judgments. It includes our
actions and God’s creation of them at
the same time, for God allows us to do
what we will to do by bringing it into
existence. The Arabic word translated
here as “Divine Grace” is ‘ata’,
which means giving freely or liberality.

God
has two main records or registers: the
Supreme Preserved Tablet (corresponding
to Destiny or Divine Knowledge) and the
Manifest Record (corresponding to the
reality of time). The Supreme Preserved
Tablet never changes, since God also has
absolutely unrestricted Will and is
therefore not restricted by the Destiny
He established for His creatures.
However, He may change what He records
in the Manifest Book: God effaces
whatever He wills and confirms whatever
He wills, with Him is the Mother of the
Book (13:39).

This
is a subtle matter, one difficult to
understand. Although we cannot fully
understand the reality of this
effacement and confirmation, we
frequently witness it in our lives. For
example, one day we leave home with the
intention of going to a place where sins
are freely committed. However, out of
His mercy and favor, God arranges for us
to meet some good friends who persuade
us to go to a good place. Likewise, we
commit sins too freely and are therefore
subject to misfortune. But instead of
dealing with us from His Justice, God,
out of His grace, treats us with utmost
grace and pardons us, thereby saving us
from misfortune.

Divine
Grace exists so that we will not despair
of being forgiven, so that we may turn
to Him despite the enormity of our sins,
and so that we should not see ourselves
as absolutely bound by the consequences
that Divine Destiny and Decree
establishes for our deeds. This is made
explicit in the following verses:

Whatever
misfortune befalls you, is for what
your own hands have earned, and for
many (of them) He grants forgiveness.
(42:30)

If
God were to punish men for their
wrongdoing, He would not leave on the
Earth a single living creature; but He
reprieves them to an appointed term.
(16:61)

Relate
[to them from Me): “O My slaves who
have transgressed against their
selves! Do not despair of God’s
mercy! Surely God forgives all sins;
for He is the All-Forgiving, the Most
Compassionate. (39:53)

Divine
grace or liberality manifests itself
more clearly in human history. Being
responsible and accountable for their
acts, people direct their own history.
Such historical philosophies as
historicism are far from the truth, for
there is no determining the reality of
history or historical events.

Many
historical people, such as those ‘Ad,
Thamud, and Pharaoh’s people deserved
to perish because of their dissolute
lifestyles, injustices, and atrocities.
And so God eradicated them. However,
Prophet Jonah’s people, upon him be
peace, turned to God with utmost
sincerity and deep repentance, and
reformed themselves morally after they
saw signs of impending destruction. As a
result, God spared them the penalty of
disgrace in the life of this world, and
gave them comfort for a while (10:98).
Emphasizing this point, God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings, said: Fear does not prevent
misfortunes, but prayer and charity
prevent them.

Therefore,
believers should never cease praying and
giving charity. When they feel
misfortune coming, they should
immediately turn to God in prayer,
repent, give charity to the poor, or
perform some service for Islam.